Shelby Stephenson
| birth_place = Benson, Johnston County, North Carolina | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = poet | language = English | alma_mater = UNC Chapel Hill University of Pittsburgh University of Wisconsin | genre = | movement = | notableworks = | awards = North Carolina Award (2001) Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet (2004-2005) North Carolina Poet Laureate (2014-''present'') | spouse = Linda Letchworth "Nin" Wilson | children = Kate Whittington Jacob Stephenson }} Shelby Stephenson (born June 14, 1938) is an American poet, who served as the 9th poet laureate of North Carolina. Life Youth and education Stephenson was born in Benson, Johnston co., North Carolina, to Maytle and Paul Stephenson. He lived for 14 years with his parents and 3 older siblings – Paul, Marshall, and Rose Stephenson – in a rural farmhouse known as "Plankhouse." In 1952, the Stephensons moved to a new house. Shelby graduated from high school in 1956. He earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1960, a Master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1967, and a Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in 1974. Marriage and career He met his wife, Linda Letchworth "Nin" Wilson, on a blind date in 1963, and the 2 married in 1966. Stephenson's earliest published poem, "Whales Are Hard to See," appeared in the Davidson Miscellany in 1973. He moved back to North Carolina in the 1970s and went on to become a teacher, serving as the English department chair at Campbell College from 1974 to 1978. He then became a professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the editor of Pembroke Magazine from 1978 until his retirement in 2010. From 2004 to 2005, he was the Gilbert-Chappell distinguished poet. H He lives with his Norwich Terrier named Cricket, while his ailing wife lives in an extended care facility in Smithfield, North Carolina. Writing Former North Carolina Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer has said of Stephenson: “He’s just good, both as a person and as a poet. ... His poetic voice just flows like a spring. He’s a natural and we really need a voice like his right now with all the divisions we have in this state”, adding:"Shelby is a longtime friend, a powerful voice in North Carolina literature. A singer, an old-time raconteur, a poet attuned to the rhythms of our state and its people. I offer my joyful congratulations to one of our state's literary treasures. This is a splendid Christmas gift to North Carolinians, all of us. And for those who keep saying they don't like poetry, just wait till you hear Shelby. You will change your mind in a flash.” Recognition In October 2014, Stephenson was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, along with Betty Adcock, Ronald H. Bayes, and Jaki Shelton Green. Poet Laureate On 22 December 2014, he was named by Governor Pat McCrory as the 9th North Carolina Poet Laureate, a position he is set to hold from 2014 to 2016. He was installed as the state’s new poet laureate on February 2, 2015 in a ceremony at the State Capitol with McCrory, Cultural Resources secretary Susan Kluttz, and Wayne Martin, executive director of the North Carolina Arts Council. Secretary Kluttz said: “I am thrilled at the choice of Shelby Stephenson as North Carolina’s poet laureate,” said Susan Kluttz, secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. “He received many strong nominations, backed up by his impressive resume. He is a wonderful representative of the outstanding poets that flourish in our state. I look forward to working with him in the coming years.” Publications Poetry * Middle Creek Poems. Laurinburg, NC: Blue Coot Press, 1979. * Carolina Shout! Southern Pines, NC: privately published, 1985. * Finch's Mash: Poems. Laurinburg, NC : St. Andrews Press, 1990. * Plankhouse. Rocky Mount, NC: North Carolina Wesleyan College Press, 1993. * Poor People: Poems. Troy, ME: Nightshade Press, 1998. *''The Past''. Hillsborough, NC: privately published, 1999. * Fiddledeedee. Benson, NC: Bunny and the Crocodile Press, 2001. * The Persimmon Tree Carol. Troy, ME: Nightshade Press, 2002. *''Greatest Hits, 1978-2000''. Johnstown, ON: Pudding House, 2002. * Possum. Treadwell, NY: Bright Hill Press, 2004. * Family Matters: Homage to July, The Slave Girl. Durham, NC: Bellday Books, 2008. * Playing Dead: Poems. Georgetown, KY: Finishing Line Press, 2011. *''Play My Music Anyhow: Poems''. Georgetown, KY: Finishing Line Press, 2013. *''Steal Away''. Durham, NC: Jacar Press, 2014. *''The Hunger of Freedom''. Princeton, NJ: Red Dashboard, 2014. Edited *''Carolina Spring: An anthology of Carolina poets''. Benson, NC: privately published, 1999. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Shelby Stephenson, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Dec. 27, 2015. Audio / video Music * Hank Williams Tribute (with Linda Stephenson; CD). Aberdeen, NC: Off Beat Studio / Oasis Records, 1997. * Sing the Old Songs (with Marshall Stephenson, Paul Stephenson, & Linda Stephenson; CD). Goldsboro, NC: Audio Farm Records, 2004. * Sing Don Gibson (with Linda Stephenson; CD). privately released, 2012. Except where noted, discographical information courtesy WorldCat. See also *List of U.S. poets References External links ;Poems *"Ode to Percy" *Shelby Stephenson: Five poems at The Dead Mule ;Audio / video *Shelby Stephenson at YouTube ;About *Shelby Stephenson at the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame *Shelby Stephenson Official website. Category:Poets Laureate of North Carolina Category:Writers from North Carolina Category:Living people Category:1938 births Category:People from Johnston County, North Carolina Category:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Category:University of Pittsburgh alumni Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Category:20th-century poets Category:21st-century poets Category:American poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets